r/travel • u/AutoModerator • Nov 18 '14
Topic of the week - Travel Gift Ideas
In light of the upcoming holiday season, we're going to try an alternative to the weekly destination thread, this week featuring Travel Gift Ideas. Please contribute all and any questions/thoughts/suggestions/ideas about gifts for the travelers.
This post will be archived on the voting thread for future reference, so please direct any of the more repetitive questions to the sidebar.
Only guideline: If you link to an external site, make sure it's relevant to the current topic. Please include adequate text with the link explaining what it is about and describing the content from a helpful travel perspective.
Example: We really enjoyed the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. It was $35 each, but there's enough to keep you entertained for whole day. Bear in mind that parking on site is quite pricey, but if you go up the hill about 200m there are three $15/all day car parks. Monterey Aquarium
Unhelpful: Read my blog here!!!
Helpful: My favourite part of driving down the PCH was the wayside parks. I wrote a blog post about some of the best places to stop, including Battle Rock, Newport and the Tillamook Valley Cheese Factory (try the fudge and ice cream!).
Unhelpful: Eat all the curry! [picture of a curry].
Helpful: The best food we tried in Myanmar was at the Karawek Cafe in Mandalay, a street-side restaurant outside the City Hotel. The surprisingly young kids that run the place stew the pork curry[curry pic] for 8 hours before serving [menu pic]. They'll also do your laundry in 3 hours, and much cheaper than the hotel.
Undescriptive I went to Mandalay. Here's my photos/video.
As the purpose of these is to create a reference guide to answer some of the most repetitive questions, please do keep the content on topic. If comments are off-topic any particularly long and irrelevant comment threads may need to be removed to keep the guide tidy - start a new post instead. Please report content that is:
Completely off topic
Unhelpful, wrong or possibly harmful advice
Against the rules in the sidebar (blogspam/memes/referrals/sales links etc)
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u/northern_redditor #vanlife Nov 18 '14
I've received two really great gifts:
Was merino wool clothing. The stuff is great for traveling. I got a bunch of basics (underwear, socks, t-shirts) one year for Christmas and loved it
My girlfriend made me a map in a frame with pins to track the places we go. It was a nice gift with a personal touch.
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u/salmonfin Nov 20 '14
- sounds awesome, got any pics?
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u/northern_redditor #vanlife Nov 20 '14
Here is the map. Sorry for the potato quality, but it's an old picture and I'm actually traveling right now!
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u/El__Bandito United States Nov 22 '14
Any specific brands for the merino wool?
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u/northern_redditor #vanlife Nov 23 '14
They bought me ice breaker and then another brand of socks. I can't remember what it was because I actually ended up losing the socks.
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u/theechoofyourname United States Nov 25 '14
I love smartwool socks. they help keep blisters away and dry quickly when traveling.
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u/Reddit_on_a_ladder Nov 23 '14
I got merino wool ski socks a couple years ago for Xmas and still love them
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u/madmoneymcgee Nov 18 '14
Point of information: Are we talking about gifts for travelers or special gifts to bring back from a certain destination beyond the usual tourist souvenirs? Or both?
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Nov 22 '14
Oh, I desperately need ideas for the latter! Seems I am always bringing home random stuff that no one really needs. I wish I could figure out better gifts to bring home!
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u/northern_redditor #vanlife Nov 18 '14
Sorry for the confusion - the description says gifts for travelers.
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u/Voyjer Nov 18 '14
As a frequent traveler the one thing I always lose / need / break - head phones. They come in all price range, and there are some very good cheap ones (without being too specific). The best pair I had was a Sony that came in a hard case (lasted for 3 years until lost on a flight forever).
Other than that everything that surrounds the travelers best friend - the Smartphone (chargers, protectors, named / unnamed, engraved with photo's)
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u/Clownfeet Get off the Gringo trail Nov 18 '14
headphones-wise. I've been travelling with some urban ears fold ups for a year now and they are really hard wearing, loud, great sounding and also have a handy jack port on them so someone else can just plug straight into yours. AND they are only like £30 or something!
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u/SimonsCat44 Nov 23 '14
If it's a traveller who also likes gimmicks and impressing people, so "lifestraw" can be really a good present. It's a straw that allows you to drink water from a river or a lake, and it removes 99% of water parasites and bacteria.
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u/pemealbacon Nov 18 '14
For my upcoming trip, I'll need: A decent not-too-expensive digital camera like the PowerShot SX280, memory card, OTG cable + SD reader, portable battery pack
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u/Clownfeet Get off the Gringo trail Nov 18 '14
If you're getting a point and shoot then get a waterproof one. I can't even tell you how useful it is. Can take it everywhere and not be bothered about leaving it on the beach or on the side of a river or pool. So useful
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u/reardan Nov 22 '14
I must disagree. Waterproof cameras just don't take good pictures. IMHO I'd suggest a canonS120 or whatever the newest one is. The pictures come out great, shoots good video, and is plenty durable short of dropping it in a toilet.
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u/JoshFiles2 Aotearoa Nov 20 '14
Things I love, or would love to have:
- Packing cubes. So useful. Cheap if you buy the third party ones
- Travel clothing: good quality socks and underwear, wool clothing. Look to hiking stores.
- Point and shoot cameras! Very useful - be careful as someone may already have one.
- I love my scratch map. An excellent way to see where I've been.
- Power banks are incredibly useful. No more searching for that one plug in the airport, or worrying about charging your phone during long plane, bus, or train rides.
- Earphones are essential, and they're always breaking.
Things to not buy, unless you know what the person wants:
- Luggage and bags. People can be very particular about bags, as different people like different things. I had someone buy me a piece of carry-on luggage, but unfortunately I always travel backpack only.
- Cameras, if the person is tech savvy.
- Hotels, unless you know where the person is going and have confirmed that they haven't booked already. Again, unfortunately, I've had people book hotels that didn't work with my existing travel plans, and I already had booked one for myself that wasn't refundable.
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u/MamaDaddy Airplane! Nov 24 '14
Oh, I don't know... I might like it if someone bought me a hotel... ;)
I agree with you completely, though, about what not to buy.
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u/Catfeather Nov 20 '14
Instead of a scratch map, I think something personalized like this would be neat.
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u/Clownfeet Get off the Gringo trail Nov 18 '14
We got bought some cool metal luggage tags that were laser engraved with our names and a travel quote on them. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only the first page"
It was such a thoughtful gift and not that expensive i'm guessing
They look similar to this but a bit cooler.
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u/circa_1984 Canada Nov 18 '14
I really appreciate it when people get me things to make an upcoming trip more comfortable or enjoyable. Last year I was going to SEA over the holiday period, so my sisters bought me a trip to Ko Phi Phi and my best friend organized a tree house in Khao Sok (the honeymoon suite, amusingly). I also know people who have been given lounge passes as gifts in the past, and I haven't gotten any of those yet but I'd love it on a long trip home!
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u/kuyacyph Nov 22 '14
My sister gifted me a few travel-things for my birthday backpacking trip. The bed liner I hardy use, the dry-pack I only use for my slippers, the most useful thing that I can't live without tho is a quick-dry microfiber towel.
Honestly, it doesn't feel food, it's like drying yourself with a shamoi, but it dries me and itself quick.
A laundry sack would be nice, or a mini power strip.
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u/palindromist Nov 24 '14
This map allows you to scratch off wherever you've been in the world. I have one and I got one for my boyfriend. We both love them.
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u/Sharkfightxl Chicago, 13 countries, 22 states Nov 24 '14
I will be traveling in India for all of January as part of a charity event. Part of our fundraising promised gifts to donors at a certain level.
What are some gifts from India (particularly the west coast) that I should look for?
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u/dmnota US expat Nov 25 '14
I visited Bangalore and Chennai last March. If the other side is similar then look for sandal wood carvings, incense, and scarves. I think the scarves are best, honestly, because everything else (figurines and the like) can be found almost anywhere in the world). The scarves, however, are gorgeous, functional, and relatively cheap. You'll get quite the experience shopping: when I went each store had 3-5 people assisting you and they will pull out hundreds of samples for you.
Depending on import restrictions there's also so very unique liquors and spices you could get.
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u/jesteryte Nov 22 '14
I don´t know if this will be as helpful as one might think. When I´m traveling, I´m generally trying to get rid of all the extraneous stuff I don´t use, not add more to it.
Also, most regular travelers have their kit honed down what is essential to them, personally. There may be things I need to replace, or want to add, but that will be specific to each person according to their kit...
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u/reardan Nov 22 '14
I love my well honed kit. It is mine. But I also know better than anyone exactly what I'd replace and with what. I'd stick with wool things as gifts. I'd love to get a couple pairs of socks.
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u/Readdette Nov 19 '14 edited Nov 20 '14
I think Wreck This Journal or any other travel journal would make a great gift for a traveler.
Inspired by this post: http://imgur.com/a/tadQc